TerrIIItory

by Susan A Bliler

  “I know you think that, but…”

  Clay didn’t get to finish. One second he was facing Evander, and the next he was pinned up against the wall.

  “Think?” he snarled viciously. “I know to the very depths of my fucking soul that She. Is. Mine. I know it like I know my own name.” He inched closer until his face was mere inches from Clay. “I know it like I know the next wolf even hinting otherwise will be taken as a direct challenge.”

  Bethany’s soft voice seized his attention and her mere presence eased his wolf. “Let him go, Evander.”

  Without hesitation, the Alpha did as she asked.

  Clay straightened his shirt. Grateful eyes landed on Bethany and Evander growled, not liking the other male’s attention on what was his.

  “Go!” Evander commanded. “Contact Royce. Tell him I need him.”

  Clay dipped his head and exited the room, making sure to avoid any contact with Bethany—the Alpha’s unclaimed mate.

  Evander took in the sight of her and something inside of him warmed. She wasn’t wearing anything special. He’d had Raina and Swan go to town to buy Bethany some clothes, and she wore them now. Blue jeans, with a loose-knit gray sweater, made him want to squeeze her. Her tiny feet were encased in hiking boots so small that he wondered if they’d been bought in the children’s section. Her long, soft brown hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail. She looked so damn warm and inviting that he actually had to rub a palm against his thigh to fight the itch to touch her.

  Bethany crossed to him and he could scent and sense her helplessness and defeat.

  “It’s not Clay’s fault. Please don’t take this out on the pack.”

  Unable to speak, he simply shook his head.

  Lips tilting, Bethany eyed the space. “Why do we keep doing this in the kitchen?”

  Clearing his throat, Evander found his voice. “Because it’s the most communal place in the house.”

  Delicate brows hiked as she eyed him in confusion.

  “If we do this anywhere else, baby, I don’t think I’ll be able to stop myself from fully claiming you.” He warmed at the blush that crept up on her as realization dawned. He wanted to be inside her, and he wasn’t afraid to let both she and her wolf know.

  Dropping her head, she looked anywhere but at him. “So, how do we?” Letting the words die, she fidgeted nervously, twisting her fingers together in uncertainty.

  Evander stepped forward and lifted her. She hadn’t expected it, but he was looking for any excuse to touch her and do it quickly. His wolf needed the assurance that she wasn’t going to deny their mark, even though both she and Clay clearly didn’t believe she was theirs.

  Shelving her ass, he hid a smile when her arms went around his neck and her legs settled around his hips. She was a perfect fit, made just for him. His dick stirred at her nearness and the press of her against him, but he fought down his arousal. He didn’t want to scare her off. He crossed to the counter and placed her on it.

  Chapter 14

  Bethany was having a hard time fighting her desire to belong to Evander. She’d done the one thing she’d been fighting against since he’d introduced the mate theory. She’d gotten her hopes up, and she shouldn’t have. He wasn’t hers, and now he was forcing them to prove it all over again. She wouldn’t anticipate a change this time. She had no faith left. He couldn’t heal her. She wasn’t his, and the less time she spent around him, the less time she’d have to inspire optimism. “Maybe I should go first.”

  Kane gave a curt nod, his expression grim, and she felt guilt bite hard. This was clearly difficult for him too.

  It was her turn to give a curt nod as she leaned into him, eyeing his throat. His throat? Why had she been looking there? Wolves didn’t mark each other on the throat. They marked each other at the bend, where the neck met the shoulder. She smiled at him nervously hoping he hadn’t noticed.

  “It’s okay, baby.” His hands tightened on her hips, and she ignored the sudden stir in her belly.

  Licking her lips, she brushed her nose against him and vowed to get this done quickly. Opening her mouth, her wolf still absent, her blunted human teeth found their previous mark. She tried to ignore the tantalizing scent of him, and the way his warmth and hands on her made her feel like the only woman in the world. Her teeth sank into him and his taste exploded on her tongue.

  The taste of him was more than exquisite. It was… Oh God! Not again! She fought it even as another part of her was screaming, Yes, yes yes! Why did he have this effect on her? And more importantly, why couldn’t she control it?

  There was no control. Not with him. Ever! Bethany clung to him and drank deeply, feeling something inside her sigh in contentment even as her body screamed for more. She wanted him. She wanted her teeth in him, and him inside her. Pulling him tighter, she rubbed and moaned approval when his hands fisted her cheeks and lifted her closer.

  His taste was pure heaven, and the tug of her mouth on his warm flesh had heat shooting straight to her sensitized clit. She wanted to be fucking him and biting him. With one more grind against his sex, Bethany tensed with the orgasm that seized her. She had to pull her mouth free to breathe, and she let her head fall back as her lips remained parted on a pant, Evander’s blood slipping down the sides of her mouth and running in two matching rivulets down either side of her throat as she tossed her head back to ride out her release.

  ***

  Evander held his mouth closed even as Bethany’s body convulsed in release. Her reaction to him was so intense. He realized the boxers beneath his jeans were suddenly wet and clinging to him uncomfortably. Now, it was his turn to be humiliated. Like a teenage schoolboy, or some premature lover, he’d come in his jeans…again. Shit! Mere proximity to her was dangerous. The things she did to him, the need that rose and clawed at him with unrelenting ferocity, was unrivaled. He’d never experienced anything near the sexual attraction he had for his Beth. His! His lips curled at the reinforcement that she was, in fact, his. He may not have claimed her, but mates were mates. She was his, and he was fucking keeping her.

  Her arms around his shoulders relaxed, and he wanted to protest when she slowly pulled away. He dipped his head to avoid eye contact. He knew it made her uncomfortable for him to look at her after the first time they’d marked each other. He inhaled, and the scent of her heat hit him like a sledgehammer right between the eyes.

  He staggered and she gasped, gripping him tighter. “Y-you okay?”

  She tried to unwrap her legs to get to her feet but he spun quickly, pinning her to the wall. He shook his head once, hard. He was shaken from the physical power she had over him. One whiff of her wet core, and his knees had nearly buckled. It was humbling, because dazing this Alpha was no easy feat. He prided himself on it. After countless challenges and years of battle, the one thing that could, and very nearly did, floor him was his mate’s wet pussy. He licked his lips, thinking of devouring her. The thought of laying her flat, spreading her wide, and feasting on her slick cunt had his balls drawing up tight and his cock aching painfully.

  “Kane?”

  She spoke his name so quietly, so sweetly, that he groaned with the need to be inside her. He’d settle for anything at this point. Just touching her, holding her, was a gift. “You ready?” he winced at his own voice. It was deep and gravely, as if he was straining to hold back his wolf. He was.

  Bethany shifted in his arms and nodded. It was all he needed. Leaning forward he ran his nose across her collarbone than up the front of her throat before tracing one side of her jaw. He lifted his nose, using it to turn her head to the side. She let him, her head moving easily. Her willing submission was sexy as hell and had him biting back a curse. His wolf wasn’t so easily placated. The beast was beyond stirred; he clawed and howled within demanding the man take action, to mark her, to prove to Clay and to her that she was his.

  His lips found his mark, and his incisors elongated as he bit into her. He felt her tense and instantly regretted that he’d
been relegated to giving her pain without pleasure. Normally, a shifter wouldn’t mark his mate in this manner, but this wasn’t a typically marking. She wasn’t a typical mate.

  He kept his teeth inside her for a moment, until he was sure he could ride out the wave of possessiveness that crashed over him. He had to get a rein on himself, or he’d force her onto the table and take what both he and his wolf wanted.

  For long minutes, he simply held her. His head buried against her shoulder, one hand splayed against her back while the other shelved her ass. He breathed in the scent of them. Her arousal proof that she’d climaxed, mingled with the scent of his own seed, but his wolf was angered that the two scents weren’t married. The wolf didn’t understand why they didn’t fully claim their mate.

  To her credit, Bethany didn’t rush him. She remained still in his arms, content to let him simply hold her and scent her. Hopefully, she realized he was hanging on by a thread.

  Finally, she asked, “If this doesn’t work?”

  He pulled back to smile at her reassuringly. “I’ve got a good friend that might,” he lifted her hand to eye her bite-marred arm, “be able to explain this. Clay will have sent for him.”

  Bethany couldn’t help but wonder aloud. “If he’s such a good friend, why doesn’t he live here? Is he not welcome among the pack?”

  Evander smirked. “I have to admit, I’m a bit of an elitist. Don’t get me wrong, Royce is my friend, but this,” he waved to encompass the area. “This is about pack. I want them knowing that they have my full and undivided attention and allegiance. Just us wolves. It’s important.”

  Bethany nodded with a sinking feeling. Evander didn’t want outsiders diluting his pack.

  Chapter 15

  Evander sneered at Royce as he paced the full length of the house’s library before stalking back again. The vampire wasn’t bad looking; he just wasn’t a shifter. Where Evander was all tanned skin and thick muscle, Royce was pale with a more corded frame. As deadly as Evander, the vampire was centuries older. His straight black hair made him seem young, but his crystal-clear eyes always gave Evander the creeps. He knew from experience that females were highly attracted to the vamp. Even Swan tended to act giddy and flustered when Royce came to visit. Raina never got the chance. Whenever Royce was in town, Lincoln suddenly had a compulsion to travel, and refused to leave Raina behind. Not surprisingly, Lincoln and Raina were missing now. Evander’s brow furrowed, wondering if he needed to ensure Raina actually wanted to go on these sudden trips.

  Mateo was also notably absent with Swan, but Weston and Clay lounged on the plush leather sofa watching their Alpha pace.

  Evander’s attention was pulled back to Royce and Bethany when she stood and asked to speak to Royce in private.

  “NO!” He was on his feet before he could stop himself. What was Bethany’s sudden interest in the vampire? As soon as Royce arrived, Bethany’s hopeful gaze locked on him, and she’d scarcely taken her eyes off him since.

  Evander eyed his friend for the thousandth time since he’d noticed Bethany’s curiosity where the vampire was concerned.

  Royce, bastard that he was, smiled knowingly. “It’s alright, Kane. Your lovely simply wants to speak without so many ears about.”

  “Tough shit!” He couldn’t keep himself from storming to where the duo stood and snagging Bethany’s wrist to pull her along behind him, tossing over his shoulder, “Take him out to the pit!” He referenced the pack’s outdoor fire pit, where they typically met with unwelcomed visitors.

  “Some other time then, lovely.” Royce laughed as Bethany was pulled toward the stairs.

  “What in hell are you doing?” She struggled, attempting to free her manacled wrist.

  Ignoring her, Evander pulled her up the stairs before slamming her bedroom door behind them.

  “What am I doing?” He spun and pinned her with accusing eyes as he pressed his body into hers. He jabbed a finger toward the door. “What in the hell are you doing? Do I need to remind you that I’m an Alpha?” His eyes flashed dangerously, and of their own volition his canines elongated. “I’ll rip his fucking eyes out just for staring at what’s mine!”

  “It’s not like that!” Bethany planted two hands on his chest and shoved, but nothing happened. She scowled up at him. “I just need…” she didn’t get the chance to finish.

  “What you need, you’ll take from me!” He bent and threw her over his shoulder. His feet pounded on the wooden floor as he stalked from the room.

  “Kane! Stop it!” Bethany pounded on his back, but unbeknownst to her, it only turned him on.

  “Where are you taking me?”

  A door slammed, and she was dropped to her feet. She swayed, and Evander steadied her as she shoved hair out of her face to eye her surroundings. She instantly recognized the heightened scent. The room smelled like Evander. It was his bedroom.

  Evander scooped her up and tossed her on the bed. Her eyes rounded and a startled gasp left her when he ripped his shirt open. “Clothes off, now!”

  “What? No!” She wanted him, but not like this. Not in anger, not out of jealousy.

  The hands on Kane’s zipper stilled when Bethany paled and inched away from him on the bed. He threw his head back and roared aloud, knowing that his pack and Royce would have heard even out of the building. Having released some rage, he flopped himself on the foot of the bed and frowned up at the ceiling.

  “I’d never harm you, Beth.”

  “I-I know.”

  He expelled a harsh breath and rubbed a hand down his weary features. “I just don’t know how long I can keep this up.” He tilted his head to frown at her. “You flirting with Royce isn’t helping.”

  Bethany sighed and curled her legs under her. He hated that she still didn’t trust him enough to come to him with whatever it was she needed. She was holding back from him, and they both knew it.

  “I didn’t flirt,” she whispered, and it angered him. She might not have outright flirted, but the fact that she had something to say to Royce without him present spoke volumes.

  “No more bites, Beth.”

  He heard her sharp intake of breath and sat up to stare at her with sad eyes. “No more mate marking until it’s real. I can no longer do it without taking more from you than it’s obvious you’re willing to give.” He dropped his head and rested it in one of his large hands, suddenly overcome by his overwhelming need for her.

  “I…” Her voice was so low he thought he’d imagined it until she spoke again. “I need…blood.”

  Kane lifted his head and stared at her in shock.

  ***

  Eyes flooding with tears, Bethany forged on. This was it! Now or never, time to trust Evander, time to share with him what she’d finally realized after sharing their second marking.

  “I think it happened when I was held captive. When those things ripped into me.” She lifted her arms to show him her wounds. “They changed me.” Tears breached her eyes and slid down her face. Her voice became small, almost as if she wished he wouldn’t hear her words. “Something’s…wrong with me. I haven’t just been marking you, Kane. I’ve…I’ve been drinking your blood. Feeding from you.”

  Silence reigned for several moments, and when she chanced a glance at Kane’s face, her heart shattered to see the horror marring his handsome features.

  Finally, he moved. She’d expected a disgusted look. She’d hoped for a comforting embrace, but when he sprang from the bed and charged out of the room, her heart stopped. The sound of the slamming door echoed in the room as she stared dumbfounded at the door. He’d left her! She’d confided in him with the truth of what she was, and he’d been so disgusted that he’d simply left.

  Bethany simply stared at the door as rejection bit hard. Her eyes slowly filled with more tears as she stared unblinking at the door, willing Evander to come back and comfort her. She needed him to tell her that everything was going to be okay. She needed him to hold her and console her; she needed him to accept her.
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br />   Oh my God! He’s afraid of me. I knew this would happen. I shouldn’t have told him. Her lower lip began to tremble as the seconds ticked by and he didn’t return. After long minutes, she buried her face in her hands and let nearly silent sobs wrack her body as she attempted to stifle her emotions. Of course he doesn’t want you, you idiot. He told you he was an elitist. ‘Just us wolves’, he’d said. ‘It’s important!’ This place is for pack only and you’re… She didn’t know what she was, but one thing was certain. She wasn’t pack. It was also clear that she was no longer wanted, and she sure as hell wasn’t going to stay where she wasn’t wanted.

  Chapter 16

  Kane snarled and fisted his hand tighter in Royce’s shirt. The vamp had been harder to find than Kane had anticipated, and the Alpha was eager to get back to his mate. Bethany needed answers Kane didn’t have, but he knew where to get them. He stalked down the hall toward his room with Royce in tow.

  Shoving the door open, the fist in the front of Royce’s shirt dropped when his eyes landed on the empty bed. Motion caught his attention and his gaze jerked to where the curtains billowed in the open window. Bethany was gone.

  ***

  With everyone down at the fire pit, it had been easy for Bethany to sneak out the front of the house. She’d half expected and had fully hoped that Evander would catch her and make her stay. It didn’t happen.

  Once the front door of the house clicked closed behind her, she’d run hard. Even now, with tears still blinding her, she was pushing hard and fast to get as much distance between herself and Evander as possible.

  He doesn’t want me! The stark realization played over and over in her head. I’m not pack. Well, what in the hell had been up with all the sexual energy they’d shared when marking each other? She’d begun to hope it was more than just her wolf attaching itself to a strong male. Apparently, she’d been wrong.

  Reaching a break in the tree line, she stepped out onto the shoulder of the highway, cramming her hands into her jeans and ducking her head. She’d swiped a jacket from the hook behind the door on her way out, and wouldn’t you know it? Evander’s scent enveloped her, taunting her with all she couldn’t have. She was tempted to take the thing off and leave it in the woods, but it was too cold. The dreary, overcast sky matched her mood.